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COP15: First week of summit ends in deadlock

The first week of discussions at the United Nations Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen has not ended in agreement and produced rifts between developed and developing nations, as well as between eastern and western Europe.

The leaders of Britain and France are backing the set up of a $10 billion a year fund to help developing nations cut emissions and tackle the effects of climate change. Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy say they will commit a major part of the €2 billion ($3 billion) a year pledged by the EU.

However, some former eastern bloc European nations are less willing to contribute to the fund and critics say that the €2 billion a year figure falls below the target of €2.2 billion a year.

EU leaders have also hung back from rising to the UK Prime Minister’s challenge earlier in the week to up the region’s emission reduction target from 20% on 1990 levels by 2020 to 30%. Sweden, France and Germany back the plans, but may not receive enough support from other nations.

Meanwhile, over 100 nations, led by Tuvalu and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) along with many African countries are calling for an agreement that would aim to limit global temperature rise to 1.5° C instead 2°C.

The island state of Tuvalu and AOSIS, which tabled the proposal, argue that allowing a 2°C temperature rise will be devastating for island countries susceptible to sea level rise and those already prone to droughts.

The 1.5° C goal would require many developed nations to cut their emissions by at least 45% on 1990 levels by 2020, according to Reuters reports, and is likely to meet with stiff opposition.

For further information:
http://en.cop15.dk/frontpage
www.g77.org/

11 December 2009

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